Interpol offers assistance to Sri Lanka to probe Sunday's blasts

ANI22 Apr 2019, 19:18 GMT+10

Colombo [Sri Lanka], Apr 22 (ANI): The international police organisation or the Interpol on Monday offered assistance to Sri Lankan authorities in investigating the eight deadly terror bombings which rattled different parts of the country amid Easter services on Monday.

Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock took to social media to condemn the horrific blasts that killed nearly 290 people and injured around 500 others in three churches and three high-end hotels across the island nation, Colombo Page reported.

"Interpol strongly condemns the horrific attacks in Sri Lanka and has offered its full support to the investigation being carried out by national authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims," the organisation took to its official Twitter handle to say.

The Paris-based organisation added that it can deploy an Incident Response Team at the request of a member country to provide on-site support during a crisis situation.

The blasts targeted St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and another church in the eastern town of Batticaloa as the Easter Sunday mass were in progress.

Three explosions were reported from the five-star hotels - the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury. Foreigners and locals who were injured in hotel blasts were admitted to the Colombo General Hospital.

After citing forensic analysis of body parts found at six different sites, the state media reported that seven suicide bombers conducted attacks at three churches and three hotels.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but police on Monday arrested 24 people, majorly locals, in connection with the blasts.

The blasts have been termed as the deadliest attacks in the country's recent history after peace was established following the end of Sri Lankan civil war a decade ago. (ANI)